It is desirable to maintain electrical continuity between the metallic parts of operator interface devices (pushbuttons, key switches, selector switches, etc.) and the support panels in which they are installed. The support panels are usually provided with a coating, such as paint, to protect against corrosion. The protective coating is usually an electrically insulative material, which prevents the establishment of electrical continuity between the operator interface device and the support panel. Continuity has commonly been accomplished by providing dedicated wiring terminals for connecting a wire between the operator interface device and the support panel, or protective coating penetration features which break the protective coating to establish continuity. Both methods have required the operator interface installer to perform specific operations (tightening a screw or torquing a nut) to ensure that continuity between metallic parts of the operator interface and the support panel is established, and then maintained. It is not uncommon for these specific operations to be inadvertently forgotten by the installer, or be of such difficulty or inaccessibility that the operations are deliberately not performed. If the screw or nut should become loose or the force applied to the protective coating penetration feature is reduced, continuity between the metallic parts of the operator interface device and the support panel can be lost. It is therefore desirable that electrical continuity between the metallic parts of the operator interface device and the support panel be established and maintained automatically, without requiring any specific operation by the installer.